Firefighters leave blaze-hit Devizes recycling site

Firefighters have left the scene of the fire that has been burning near Devizes since Tuesday.

Crews were called to the Wiltshire Waste (Recycling) Ltd transfer station off Monument Hill at 4.44pm on Tuesday, where they found 300 tonnes of waste well alight.

Following discussions with partners including Wiltshire Council, Public Health England and the Environment Agency, it was agreed yesterday to let the fire burn itself out under control.

One Wiltshire Fire and Rescue crew has remained at the scene throughout today but it was decided late in afternoon that responsibility for the site could be handed back to the owner.

A quantity of rubbish remains alight and is expected to continue burning for some time.

The advice from Public Health is that the risk to the public is generally low.

In relation to the smoke still being seen, Public Health says that the risk to people is classed as generally low.

People are being advised to take sensible precautions and, although there is no need to restrict daily movements, anyone who can see see or smell smoke is being told that they could close doors and windows as a precaution, particularly those with an existing respiratory condition.

While the fire is burning, the smoke plume will move around as weather conditions change.

During this time, Wiltshire Council and Public Health England say they will be working together to provide on-going air monitoring to ensure that there is no risk to public safety.

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